Original Item: The original British nomenclature for this item is “Rod, Cleaning, .303-in., M.G., Mk 2,” and it was adopted officially during WW1 on 1 October 1915. This is the rod that fit into brackets in the front of the “Chest, Vickers or Lewis, .303-in., M.G.” The rod itself is steel and is attached to a swiveling cast brass handle. The gun chest is fitted with a specially shaped bracket to hold the hollow handle of the rod. Most of the handles show British marking. We have a very few rods with Canadian marks. These original Mk 2 rods have become hard to find today.
This rod includes what the British originally called the “bush,” but what we would call a muzzle protector. Most bushes have been lost over the years, but we have a few rods still retaining the bush.